This program, which is jointly registered with St. Joseph’s College, prepares students for careers
in early childhood, childhood, early childhood special education and childhood special education.
Students who complete the A.A. degree at Suffolk County Community College are assured seamless
transfer to St. Joseph’s College for the baccalaureate degree program. However, students can also
transfer to other New York State public and private four-year colleges to attain the baccalaureate
degree and teacher certification.

The Education (Child Study) Emphasis at Suffolk will offer a strong liberal arts foundation, while including courses specifically related in pedagogy. New York State
teacher certification standards will be met through upper-level coursework at St. Joseph's College, including supervised student teaching. Successful completion of the full
program will qualify students for Initial Certification in the following four areas:

Early Childhood (birth to second grade)

Early Childhood Special Education (birth to second grade)

Childhood (grades one through six)

Childhood Special Education (grades one through six)

Admission Procedures and Requirements

Admission to the A.A. Liberal Arts and Sciences: Education (Child Study) Emphasis for entering students requires a Regent's Diploma and a minimum high school average of
80. Continuing students who wish to be admitted to the program must have completed ENG101, a mathematics or laboratory science course, and PSY101 with a combined GPA of 3.0 or better.

Graduates of the A.A. program at Suffolk will be required to have a 2.80 GPA to matriculate in the Child Study program at St. Joseph's College.

Students are required to complete two semesters of a foreign language in sequence based
on completion of prerequisite or fulfillment of equivalent high school placement requirements , as follows: Elementary I / Elementary II or Elementary II / Intermediate I or
Intermediate I / Intermediate II or Intermediate II / any advanced-level course. ASL not accepted for this requirement.

Child Study majors at S. Joseph's College are required to take 30 credits in an academic area of concentration, which include art, English, fine arts, history, human relations, mathematics, mathematics and computer science, music, political science, psychology, science, social science, sociology, Spanish, speech communication, or another area with departmental approval. Students should confer with a counselor or advisor regarding the list of Suffolk courses that will satisfy this requirement.

¹The total credits required would likely be reduced, the amount depending on
the student's choice of area of concentration. Some courses taken as part of the Liberal Arts Education Emphasis at
Suffolk County Community College would likely count as courses taken in the area of concentration.

All students are required to pass the LAST and ATS-W,
the Certificate for Child Abuse and Violence Prevention,
and be fingerprinted as required by New York State.
Students must also take the content test in their major
field. 128 credits are required for graduation from St.
Joseph’s College.

Our Mission...

Suffolk County Community College promotes intellectual discovery, physical development, social and ethical awareness, and economic opportunities for all through an education that transforms lives, builds communities, and improves society.